


we've been good, but we can't last

by pictus



Category: Underworld Capital Incident (Video Game)
Genre: ?????????PROBABLY???????????????, M/M, Pining, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 11:34:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6282955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pictus/pseuds/pictus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sleep like dead men, wake up like dead men (and, that is to say, not at all)</p>
            </blockquote>





	we've been good, but we can't last

**Author's Note:**

> things that could have happened, but didnt quite go as planned
> 
> OBSCURE PLOT IS OBSCURE IM SO SORRY

**It starts like this:**

_Rokkaku assigns both Hirahara and Tagami on the same mission, in the same place, despite knowing that there's a 99.99% chance of Hirahara fucking something up. It’s their first mission out together and they watch as Rokkaku puts his trust in them and lets them go, lets them lead their way into the closed down apartment building where they're going to catch something; some demon, a_ youkai _, or something like that._

_Hirahara grins all toothy like and lugs his shovel through the dirt behind them, taking big marching strides._

_Tagami frowns. Tagami yawns. Tagami thinks,_ today is going to be a long day.

 

**This is how it goes:**

“Taga _aaaami_ ,” he shouts, and the shadows stretching up the walls shudder when he bounds by, boots making a clattering _thud, thud, thud_ against the wooden floors. Tagami looks up, and he doesn’t know how he feels with such a bother, with such a loud ruckus first thing in the morning, afternoon-- _whatever_. He sits, back against the wall, feeling the material slowly ebb away the heat that hovers over them from such a sticky, humid  summer.

“What do you want,” he starts, and there’s a calm tension between them as the same banter goes on. He's sitting there because it's dumb to look for a demon in this weather-- the demon probably won't even show up until night anyways-- and because it's hot and summer is stupid. He reaches into his pocket and rummages around, giving just the slightest change in expression when he finds some hard candies.

 

**This is how you want it to go:**

Tagami calls out for his partner, somewhat loud in such a quiet tense building. He says, _Oi, Hirahara, want some?_ and he holds up the shiny blue wrapper in between his index and thumb, holding the small treat above. And Hirahara, as Hirahara always seems to don his childish pleasing way, goes _Yes please--!! Yes please yes please yes please!!_ and smothers Tagami in a very constricting hug.

Tagami smiles when he thinks Hirahara isn't looking.

They sit together sucking on ramune flavored candy, hands side by side. And if their pinkies are touching each others in just the slightest way, well, Tagami isn’t going to mention it.

 ...

 

**This is how it goes:**

The sun sets. The sky melts from that warm yellow-orange (which, Tagami recalls, is _exactly_ the way Hirahara’s eyes look under the shadows; they’re amber, but they’re nothing like his own, and they take on a different quality that makes the world seem ethereal. Not that he’d ever admit it, of course), and the world slowly sinks into a dusk colored world, breaking out into black and blue like a bruised plum. The night starts and of course, _of course_ that’s when the demon starts coming out. It’s disgusting, really, some lesser monster of hell that’s so insignificant it probably doesn’t even have a name. It crawls on all fours and there’s, uh, something dripping out of it’s mouth. Constantly.

Ugh.

Tagami just wants to sleep, really. He’s still incredibly tired despite having slept for the last four hours. He closes his eyes and counts to ten, tries to disperse all of his thoughts and get a good few more minutes of shut-eye.

“ _Uoohh!!”_ Hirahara shouts, loud enough for anyone within the nearest two blocks to hear them. “Tagami! Let’s gooo _oooo!!_ We can definitely take it!! Just look at how _ugly_ it is!!”

He drags out the last syllable of _ugly_ and gives this 100-megawatt smile at Tagami, who feels like he needs to squint to avoid the brightness of Hirahara’s entire being.

 

**This is how you want it to go:**

Hirahara takes his shovel and slams the flat blade into the bloated body of the beast. The thing gives a gurgle, as if there was liquid leaking from whatever… _orifice_ … served as its mouth. The claws scrabble against the ground and then.

And then the thing fucking _quadruples in size_.

It’s gotten _uglier_ , if that’s even possible. It’s pitch black skin swells up to the point of bursting and Hirahara’s eyes widen, like he’s afraid. But he’s got this big wide smile, all toothy like and sharp, _as usual_ , like this is the best day of his life.

Tagami grabs the pickaxe and throws it, but only because the beast knocks down Hirahara like a toothpick. Hirahara is all muscle and wiry limbs, poised like a rabbit ready to sprint at any second-- he's not built to withstand heavy blows like this thing.

So. Tagami throws his pickaxe, like it’s the only thing left he can do.

(and if he had been less surprised, less lovestruck, he’d have thought this through enough to realize that there were dozens of different options left; but there's a monster just a hair's width away from him, and so today is not the day he rationalizes this.)

The monster claws at his shoulder until there’s bone showing, practically rendering his arm useless. The chains links clang against each other. The beast turns towards Hirahara.

He’s not going to let this demon hurt his soldier boy.

It takes some large amount of effort, but somehow, with the last of his strength, he drags his body towards his weapon lying on the ground.

The red haired escort raises his shovel like a sword and glares at the beast like a challenge. Tagami briefly thinks about the way the color of his eyes turns into a beautiful molten gold under the shadows of the dark. For once, Hirahara has a serious look on his face, and he glares at the enemy like its done something unforgivable. And maybe it has, with Tagami’s torn up muscles, bloody all over the floor.

But he picks up the shaft in his hand. This is his last chance.

 

**This is how it goes:**

The sharp end of the pickaxe goes flying into the _youkai_ ’s head, and there's this unholy screech that resounds throughout the building as it rears its head in pain and anger. But in the few moments in between its body slowly stops moving and it stills on the ground, petrified and defeated.

 

**This is how you want it to go:**

Hirahara runs towards Tagami and grasps his sides like he will disappear if he doesn't hold on tight enough. He's saying his name like a prayer, chanting it under his breath, over and over and over again.

This is their first fight together, tears and reassurances and mumbled _i love you_ ’s whispered in between them. Tagami sighs and kisses Hirahara again and again while the other sobs into his shoulder.

They're demons, immortal underworld _escorts_ , so they can't die, but damn if seeing it hurt still.

They stay that way until an hour passes, maybe two. The night bleeds into the day. A new light, a new morning.

The dawn rises nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

**This is how it goes, in reality:**

Tagami says nothing and sits on the wooden floors, leaning back against the wall. He shoves a candy into his mouth and savors the small stings and bites in his throat as he swallows. Hirahara gives a look of surprise as he notices him crumpling the plastic in his hands, and bounds over, practically skipping.

“Tagami! Tagami!” he shouts, with almost a childlike demeanor in his begging. “Can I have some candy too??”

His voice is too naive, too whiny in this moment and Tagami automatically feels a sense of irritation wash over him.

“No,” he snaps, rather harshly. The faint remnants of his voice echo off the old wallpaper. “Shut up, you're being annoying.”

He doesn't say anything for a second.

“But _Tagamiiiiii--”_ He whines back more, but Tagami notices the way his grin doesn't quite reach his ears.  

The treats feel like boulders in his pocket.

 

**This is how it goes, in reality:**

Hirahara takes his shovel and slams the flat blade into the bloated body of the beast. The thing gives a gurgle, as if there was liquid leaking from whatever… _orifice_ … served as its mouth. The claws scrabble against the ground and then.

And then the thing fucking _quadruples in size_.

It’s gotten _uglier_ , if that’s even possible. It’s pitch black skin swells up to the point of bursting and Hirahara’s eyes widen, like he’s afraid. But he’s got this big wide smile, all toothy like and sharp, _as usual_ , like this is the best day of his life.

Tagami reaches for his pickaxe, and he stops and thinks, _no, i don’t want to deal with this._

_He can handle it on his own._

And the monster roars and gurgles and leaps towards the fighting escort, like a cat lunging towards its prey. And now is when Tagami starts to worry-- just a little bit--about his partner; but he’s lovestruck, not stupid.

Still, he keeps a grip on the shaft of his pickaxe. Just in case.

Hirahara is all muscle, but that doesn’t mean he’s smart, and so he’s easily knocked over to the side, hitting the wall with a crack. But he’s determined and jumps right back up. Tagami watches and wonders how he was able to fall in love with someone so _stupid_ until the demon tries again, this time with its claws beared.

( _this love will not last_ )

With all the strength he has in this moment he reaches and throws his pickaxe towards the _youkai_.

He misses, but the monster turns towards him now, away from Hirahara, and Tagami supposes that this works too.

It growls, and lunges again, claws out.

Tagami tries to imagine how it feels like to die.

 

 

**This is how it goes, in reality:**

Hirahara stabs his shovel into the demon a million times until its nothing but a runny black pulp spread out across the floor, and doesn’t stop until he starts running towards Tagami and grasps his sides like he will disappear if he doesn't hold on tight enough. He's saying his name like a prayer, chanting it under his breath, over and over and over again.

Tagami says nothing because there’s a lot of blood coming out of his chest, and a lot of blood spread out on the ground, dripping and staining the floorboards.

Hirahara hugs him like he’s going to die and sobs into his chest.

_(but they're demons, immortal underworld escorts, so they can't die, but damn if it still doesn’t hurt like hell.)_

Tagami wants to say something like _i love you,_ or _i love the ways your eyes look_ but he’s so, so exhausted so instead he says, _shut up, ‘mnot gonna die, stop being disgusting._

In the end Kirishima has to come and he drags home both their deadweight bodies. Tagami stays at the hospital until he’s all healed up again and Hirahara stays in his room and doesn’t skip through the halls like he does every morning and doesn’t shout and doesn’t say anything; not until Tagami returns, at least.

 

Their mission is considered a success.

 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_But this is how it goes._

**Author's Note:**

> IVE HAD THIS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FOR A WHILE SO TAKE IT


End file.
